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Why Is My Dog Coughing And Gagging
Dogs coughing or gagging can be a result of several health conditions. When your dog coughs it is not a cause for alarm but repeated coughs by your dog are not natural and need to be checked. As we know, dogs are curious animals that love to explore with their noses as well as their mouths. In the process of this, they take in different dirt and bacteria.
It is important you know the reason why your dog is coughing or gagging before it develops into a more serious health condition.
How Do Dogs Cough?
A cough occurs when a dog is trying to forcefully bring air out of its mouth and throat. A cough comes out like a hacking sound.
How Do Dogs Gag?
Gags are retched, almost the same as vomiting, but in the case of gags, only a little mucus or phlegm comes out of their mouth.
Whether coughing or gagging it is advisable to seek a solution if it keeps reoccurring.
Reasons Why Dogs Cough Or Gag
1 Chronic Bronchitis: Bronchitis in canines is a very serious health condition that will result in more severe conditions as time passes. The symptom of this health condition is hacking cough in dogs, this cough would get worse as time passes.
Bronchitis occurs when the airways of canines are subjected to persistent inflammation, this inflammation makes the lining of the dog’s airway swell thereby producing mucus in the process that works to narrow the passage in the lungs. i.e inflammation would swell the lining of the airways and also narrow the passage to the lungs due to the production of mucus.
Inflammation Can come from the exposure of your dog to several air pollutants like smoke from industries and cigarette smoke. Chronic Bronchitis would require regular treatment as this health condition increases rapidly if it is left without attention.
- Respiratory Disease: there are several respiratory diseases that occur in canines. A disease that affects the respiratory tract may lead to your dog coughing or gagging. Diseases like lungworm infestations, distemper, influenza, fungal infections, pneumonia, etc. would eventually result in the respiratory tract.
Coughing and gagging can also be symptoms of irritation and inflammation of the trachea or lung of your dog. If this is not treated then coughing and gagging are inevitable.
- Sore Throat: sore throat can also be a cause why your dog is coughing and gagging. If your dog has something in its throat that it can’t swallow down it would try to cough it out. Foreign materials in your dog’s mouth are a very serious issue, it would cause discomfort for your dog, sore throat, and also block ventilation.
Other conditions that can result in sore throats include tonsillitis and infection of the mouth and sinus.
You should contact your Vet immediately if you know/confirm your dog has a sore throat as it may be a life-challenging situation if something is not done quickly about it.
- Reverse Sneeze: reverse sneeze occurs in dogs when air is taken into the nose in the process of sneezing instead of taken out of the nose. Reverse sneezing is usually done rapidly and is noisy. The result can be your dog coughing or gagging or doing both at the same time.
Small dogs and brachycephalic dogs (flat-faced dogs) are more prone to this condition than larger breeds.
- Heart Disease: several heart conditions can lead to coughing and gagging in dogs. Heartworm disease in dogs may interfere with the normal functioning of the heart. It could also result in inflammation in the lungs. Coughing and gagging can be symptoms of heartworm disease.
Excess accumulation of fluids in the lung can also lead to coughing or gagging and breathing problems.
Whatever the case may be, heart disease in canines is a very serious health condition that should be treated immediately. Contact your Vet ASAP when dealing with a potential heart disease situation.
- Kennel Cough: Kennel cough alongside tracheobronchitis could cause coughing and gag in canines. kennel cough is a contagious disease caused by viruses and bacteria while tracheobronchitis is a disease that affects the upper airways of dogs.
Kennel cough can be contacted in places where several dogs are accommodated. Places like dog boarding and doggy daycare facilities. Kennel cough might not be a serious health condition at the beginning but once it descends into the lung it could cause a series of health problems which include chronic bronchitis and pneumonia.
Contact your Vet if your dog has a potential kennel cough case and do well to separate your dog from other dogs in the meantime.
- Collapsed Trachea: collapsed trachea occurs when the special cartilage rings that partly circle the trachea become weak and are no more capable to support the trachea. After some time this cartilage ring collapses itself and the process creates a passage that air forcefully enters, creating a honking sound that sounds like a goose honk.
Trachea collapse is more popular with small breeds of dogs. The symptoms of a collapsed trachea are chronic coughing, irritation, and gagging. A dog suffering from these health conditions may also gag frequently when it is eating or drinking.
Other symptoms of teacher collapse are difficulty in breathing and intolerance for even the lightest exercise.
- Eating Too Fast: lol! As funny and absurd as it may sound when a dog eats too fast it may make the food go to the wrong place and provoke a long series of coughing or gagging. If a dog eats too quickly the food may go to its trachea instead of the esophagus, this would result in the dog trying to cough out the food from the wrong place it entered.
With this in mind it is only appropriate you teach and encourage your dog in the habit of eating “not too fast”. Also, ensure you put your dog’s food in a bowl that is appropriate for its size and height.
- Lung Problem: a ” moist” cough is very likely to be a result of a lung or lower airway problem in your dog. Coughing and gagging may be a pointer that there is fluid in your dog’s lung. Lung problems are very serious health conditions and your Vet should be contacted immediately if it is detected.
Lung problems can also cause difficulty in breathing for canines even when they are not coughing.
- Pneumonia: young puppies and senior dogs are more prone to pneumonia. Pneumonia takes advantage of the undeveloped (young puppies) and weakened (senior dogs) immune system. Coughing and gagging are symptoms of pneumonia. Pneumonia is caused by inhalation of harmful materials, exposure to toxins, viruses, fungi, bacteria, etc.
Tips On How To Stop Dogs From Coughing And Gagging
When you notice your dog coughing or gagging nonstop your first action should be to contact your Vet immediately and probably go for a scan to know if it has an underlying health condition. When your dog starts coughing, these are some questions you should ask yourself;
- Is it a deep, honking cough
- Does your dog cough when she is sleeping
- Is it a deep, dry, hacking cough
- Is it a high-pitched, gagging cough
- Is it a wet, phlegmy moist cough.
Answer these questions. The answer may also be of help when you call your Vet because he/she will likely want to know the type of cough your dog is having and the effects on its body. It will also aid the Vet in his analysis to know if the dog’s condition is an emergency or a contagious disease.
Coughing because of foreign materials in the mouth can be treated by the removal of these materials. As easy as this sounds it is not just a minor exercise it may even require the service of a surgeon. If your dog is coughing or gagging due to the presence of bacteria, then antibiotics are available to rescue her (Note that you should not administer any antibiotics to your dog without your Vet’s approval).
Symptoms of disease in dogs can be managed by constant exercise, medication and a special diet recommended by your Vet.
Avoid areas with air pollutants and potential irritants like cigarette smoke, dust, aerosols, etc.
We can’t over-emphasize the importance of sufficient exercise. Exercise helps the system greatly.
To ensure your dog’s airways do not dry out, always keep it hydrated. Also, use a humidifier to prevent dry air.
Even though we recommend exercise, excessive exercise Is not healthy for dogs.
A teaspoon of honey will also do some very special magic. Honey is a well-known remedy for cough. A teaspoon of honey alongside a cup of warm water would also heal a sore throat. However, it is advisable to use honey for puppies.
Homemade chicken soup can also aid hydration. A real homemade chicken soup (commercial soups are prone to high sodium content) with no species served will increase the level of your dog’s hydration as well as serve as a treat.
Another important treatment for coughing and gagging is giving your dog a serene place to rest and sleep. As we all know coughing is really exhausting and drains strength, so your canine friend would need a place to rest away from others pets, and children.
Finally, as the adage says “prevention is better than cure”, regular visits to your Vet for checkups will make sure a situation of repeated coughing and gagging does not occur at all.
Conclusion
Regular coughing and gagging can be really tiring and harmful to your dog’s health as well as be a symptom of an underlying health condition. As soon as you notice constant coughing and gagging with your dog, contact your Vet ASAP. Cheers!
